Stator vane check valve



Aug. 2, 1966 E. F. WARD STATOR VANE CHECK VALVE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FiledJuly 22', 1963 R m m V W 520/52 R Vl/hea BY 47'7'0/QA/EXB Aug. 1966 E.F. WARD STATOR VANE CHECK VALVE Filed July 32, 1963 a Sheets-Sheet 2INVENTOR.

52/115,? F Mew I United States Patent 3,263,906 STATOR VANE CHECK VALVEElmer F. Ward, Santa Ana, Calif., assignor to Task Corporation, Anaheim,Calif., a corporation of California Filed July 22, 1963, Ser. No.296,741 7 Claims. (Cl. 230-414) This invention relates generally tocheck valve assemblies, and more particularly concerns a novel valve ofthis type characterized in the provision of flow control vanes havingmultiple modes of operation including guiding the flow in valve openposition and blocking the reverse flow in vane closed position.

It is a major object of the invention to provide a compact and highlyuseful assembly adapted for combination with an axial blower tostraighten the blower induced swirling flow of gas when the valve flowcontrol vanes are open, and also to block reverse flow of gas to theblower when the straightening vanes have been moved to flowblockingposition. As will be brought out, the vanes are movable to blockingposition in response to reverse flow of fluid thereagainst, thevanes-typically have intermediate position under no-flow conditionscharacterized in that they present sufiicient pressure responsivesurface area to the downstream side of the assembly that reverse flowagainst the vanes effects movement thereof to blocking position.

It is another object of the invention to provide novel means fortransmitting force to secure vane movement to blocking position inresponse to reverse flow of fluid thereagainst, such means typicallyincluding a yieldable part acting to urge the vanes to said intermediateposition under no-flow conditions. Such means also includes what may becharacterized as a synchronizer for effecting simultaneous vane movementbetween open, intermediate and closed positions. As will appear, thesynchronizer is rotatable generally about the axis of the flow conduit,and has connection with vane pivots rotatable about generally radialaxes under the control of the synchronizer. Pivots in turn aid insecuring generally simultaneous pivotal movement of the vanes which aretypically located within an annular zone in the conduit and outwardly ofthe synchronizer. As a result, it is found that the vanes may be madeunusually and efliciently responsive to flow conditions in the conduitso as to serve their dual functions of straightening the downstream flowand blocking the upstream flow over a wide range of flow rates.

These and other objects and advantages of the present invention, as wellas the details of an illustrative embodiment, will be more fullyunderstood from the following detailed description of the drawings, inwhich:

FIG. 1 is an elevation partly in section showing the combinationincluding a check valve assembly embodying the invention at thedownstream side of an axial blower;

FIG. 2 is a view taken on line 22 of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3 and 4 show the vanes in diiferent positions as used in the FIG.1 and FIG. 2 assemblies.

Referring first to FIG. 1, a blower unit of axial flow type is generallyindicated at 10, and a valve assembly incorporating the invention isshown at 11 at the down stream side of the blower unit. The latterincludes a flow conduit 12 containing first and second blower stages 13and 14 having vanes 15 and 16 carried by hubs 17 and 18. The latter arerotatable by an electrical motor generally designated at 19 positionedaxially between the motor driven hubs, such rotation acting to displacegas in the general direction of the arrow 20 and at increased pressureand velocity, the gas also swirling about the blower axis 21.

The check valve assembly 11 includes a flow conduit 22 having an axis23, and a series of flow control vanes 24 located within an annular zone25 in the conduit. The

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vanes are characterized as having forward flow guiding open position asseen in FIG. 4, and reverse flow blocking position as illustrated inFIG. 4 in dotted lines, and it will be understood that the vanes aremovable to blocking position in response to reverse or upstream flow offluid thereagainst. Furthermore, the vanes also have intermediateposition, as in FIG. 3 under no-flow conditions, characterized in thatthey then present suflicient pressure responsive surface area to thedownstream side of the assembly that reverse flow against the vaneseffects movement thereof to blocking position. It may also be statedthat the vanes in intermediate position present suificient pressureresponsive surface area to the upstream side of the vane assembly thatforward or downstream flow against the vanes effects movement thereof toopen position.

The check valve assembly also includes means for transmitting forcev tosecure vane movement to blocking posi tion in response to reverse orupstream flow of fluid against the vanes. In this regard, one such meansincludes what may be characterized as a synchronizer shown at 27 foreffecting simultaneous vane movement between said open, closed andintermediate positions. The synchronizer is rotatable generally aboutthe axis 23 in response to pivotal movement of the vanes and pivots 28which are rotatable about generally radial axes indicated at 129 in FIG.2. In this regard, the synchronizer has pivot rotating connection withradially inward extensions 29 of the vane pivots, the form of connectionillustrate-d consisting of axial slots or splits 30 in a skirt portion31 of the synchronizer, the turned extensions 29 projecting inwardlythrough the slots. Accordingly, the pivots are cranked during rotationof the synchronizer about axis 23 thereby to assure simultaneous turningof the vanes.

The flow conduit 22 also contains a support for the synchronizer, andtypically includes a bearing 33 on a screw fastener 34 at the axis 23,the bearing being retained by a nut 35 on the screw. The latter alsoprojects through a supporting flow guiding hub 36 having a skirt orannular extent 37 projecting between the vanes and the synchronizer.Finally, the support includes arms 38 projecting at the upstream side ofthe vanes and outwardly toward the conduit for conneotion thereto.

The means for transmitting force to secure simultaneous pivotal movementof the vanes also may include a spring acting to urge the synchronizerin a rotary direction carrying the vanes to said intermediate positionunder no-fiow conditions. One highly advantageous form of spring servingthis function is shown as a torsion spring 39 having end extents 40 and41 respectively carried by the synchronizer and the hub, suitable slotsin these parts receiving the spring end extents. The main extent of thespring wraps about the axis 23.

Reference to FIGS. 1 and 3 shows an advantageous form of the vanes tohave recesses 42 receiving offset portions 43 of the pivots 28 acting tointerlock the pivots and vanes for turning movement.

In operation, when the flow passes forwardly or downstream, the vanesare straightened -by the flow as shown in FIG. 4, and in turn straightenthe spiraling flow to recover spiral flow energy and convert same toforward flow energy. In this regard, the opposite faces of the vanes inopen position extend in generally forwardly directed planes. Should thedownstream flow then reduce to a no-flow condition, the vanes willreturn to FIG. 3 intermediate position under the influence of the spring39, and if the flow reverses to impinge against the downstream facingsides of the vanes in intermediate position, they will then respond andclose to the positions shown in FIG. 2 and by the dotted lines in FIG.4, stopping and sealing at ledges 46 and arms or posts 38.

I claim:

1. In a check valve, a flow conduit having an axis, a

J series of flow control vanes arranged within an annular zone in theconduit, theyanes having p (a) forward flow controlling open positionsin which the vanes are disposed in generally forwardly and axiallyextending planesspacedabout said axis..

(b) reverse flow blocking closed positions in which the vanes aredisposed in a transverse plane extending generally normal to said axis,and

() intermediate positions between said open and closed positions, 1

the vanes being simultaneously rotatable between said positions, andmeans for controlling said vane rotation has flow guiding annular extentprojecting between said so that the vanes rn-ust rotate as a groupbetween said 7 positions in response to'change in said flow and so thatthe vanes seek said intermediate positions under no-flow conditions.

2. The check valve of claim 1, in which said means includes vane pivotsrotatable about generally radial axes and a pivot rotation synchronizerrotatable generally about said conduit axis in response to pivotalrotation of said vanes and pivot-s.

3. The check valve of claim 2, in which said synchronizer has pivotrotating connection with radially inward extensions of said vane pivots,and a support for said synchronizer carried by and within said flowconduit.

4. The check valve of claim 2, in which said vanes have recessesreceiving otfset portions of said pivots acting to interlock the pivotsand vanes.

vanes and synchronizer, and arms projecting at the upstream side of saidvanes and outwardly toward said conduit.

6. The check valve of claim 2, in which said means includes a springacting to urge the synchronizer in a rotary direction carrying the vanesto said intermediate positions.

7. The check valve of claim 1 including power driven rotary blower meansfor effecting and directing forward flow to spiral about said axis andimpinge against the vanes.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,402,082 1/1922Moran 137-512.1 2,113,391 4/1938 Bartlett 230-414 2,153,604 4/1939Wheller 230-414 2,854,211 9/ 1958 Bendersky 2301 14 2,917,275 12/ 1959*Magin 2301 14 3,068,891! 12/ 196-25 Panning 137601 X 3,118,467 1/1964Kuhn 137-512.1

LAURENCE V. EFNER, Primary Examiner.

EMILE PAUL, Examiner.

A. J. JAFFE, Assistant Examiner.

1. IN A CHECK VALVE, A FLOW CONDUIT HAVING AN AXIS, A SERIES OF FLOWCONTROL VANES ARRANGED WITHIN AN ANNULAR ZONE IN THE CONDUIT, THE VANESHAVING (A) FORWARD FLOW CONTROLLING OPEN POSITIONS IN WHICH THE VANESARE DISPOSED IN GENERALLY FORWARDLY AND AXIALLY EXTENDING PLANES SPACEDABOUT SAID AXIS. (B) REVERSE FLOW BLOCKING CLOSED POSITIONS IN WHICH THEVANES ARE DISPOSED IN A TRANSVERSE PLANE EXTENDING GENERALLY NORMAL TOSAID AXIS, AND (C) INTERMEDIATE POSITIONS BETWEEN SAID OPEN AND CLOSEDPOSITIONS, THE VANES BEING SIMULTANEOUSLY ROTATABLE BETWEEN SAIDPOSITIONS, AND MEANS FOR CONTROLLING SAID VANE ROTATION SO THAT THEVANES MUST ROTATE AS A GROUP BETWEEN SAID POSITIONS IN RESPONSE TOCHANGE IN SAID FLOW AND SO THAT THE VANES SEEK SAID INTERMEDIATEPOSITIONS UNDER NO-FLOW CONDITIONS.